


the Death of Anakin Skywalker

by Lewdsuke



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Anger, Beating, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Physical Abuse, Post-Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Psychological Trauma, Sad Ending, Self-Hatred, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:07:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27555832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lewdsuke/pseuds/Lewdsuke
Summary: He killed Anakin Skywalker. His closest friend. His brother. His other half. He trained him and failed him, then watched as he was burnt alive on Mustafar. It was cruel, and he knew it, but to finish off Anakin would be to kill himself. He was haunted by the metal hand, scorched and creaking, as Anakin had struggled to pull himself away from the lava, away from the flames. That was the last time Obi-Wan had heard Anakin’s real voice.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader
Kudos: 13





	the Death of Anakin Skywalker

Every night, it’s the same thing. The same dream. The same nightmare. The regret. The pain. 

Obi-Wan was the perfect Jedi. That’s what he was _supposed_ to be. He had never had any other choice, what with a grandmaster who left the Order and became a Sith and a master who never obeyed the Council. It was all he could do. 

Pretend.

He knew he was far from the perfect Jedi. Again, and again, and again, he allowed himself to become too attached. But he hid his lies well, for the sake of his Padawan, and for the sake of the Republic. Except his Padawan was now dead, along with the Republic.

And Obi-Wan was the one who killed them. He killed Anakin Skywalker. His closest friend. His brother. His other half. He trained him and failed him, then watched as he was burnt alive on Mustafar. It was cruel, and he knew it, but to finish off Anakin would be to kill himself. He was haunted by the metal hand, scorched and creaking, as Anakin had struggled to pull himself away from the lava, away from the flames. That was the last time Obi-Wan had heard Anakin’s real voice. _I hate you._ And Obi-Wan deserved it.

Truly, Obi-Wan had nothing to show for his life. He let his master die. Trained a Sith Lord. Wasted his life away in a war to protect a corrupt government. A war orchestrated by the very Sith Lord that used Obi-Wan’s failures against him, stealing away the person he loved most.

He was left with nothing — he had never even made it off of Mustafar.

Darth Sidious had seized Obi-Wan and rescued Anakin, only to revive Darth Vader. He killed Padmé, along with the children and the Jedi’s final hope.

Vader had blamed Obi-Wan for it, too, and beat him accordingly. For hours, he didn’t stop until nearly every bone in his body was broken, until nearly every inch of his skin was scarred and bleeding, then healing him only to beat him again.

And Ahsoka, poor Ahsoka, Obi-Wan could only hope that she had escaped, avoided Order 66 and gotten away with her life. 

Unlike Obi-Wan. The Jedi Master was getting what he deserved. A fate worse than death. 

  
  
  
  


The door swished open, heavy footsteps approaching, the door closing with a click. Obi-Wan didn’t look up. He didn’t move. He waited. Waited as Vader stood still, only the eerie sound of his breathing indicating that he was still there. Then the footsteps came closer, until Obi-Wan could see them from where his head hung low. Vader nudged him with his foot, “Are you still alive?” he asked.

  
  


Obi-Wan nodded slightly, the chains that bound his body ringing with the movement. His muscles were so sore, bound by a collar and chains on every limb, so short that he could perhaps only move a few feet forward. There was no bed. No blanket. No refresher. Only a tray of food once a day, kicked into his room by whatever stormtrooper had been assigned guard duty. Day after day, he sat in his filth, waiting for Vader to come and mock him.

This was all he had.

“Why do you insist on living?”

Obi-Wan shook his head, said nothing.

“Answer me.” Vader was calmer now, compared to his originally angry disposition. He beat his old master considerably less than he used to.

“What else would you suggest I do?” Obi-Wan asked, his voice painfully hoarse from the lack of water. The lack of talking. The Force choking. The Stormtroopers who would occasionally visit him just to play with him.

Vader growled, “As expected from someone as enduring as you, Obi-Wan. I’m sure you think this is what you deserve. You think you failed me. And you think that this is the price you have to pay.”

Obi-Wan did not respond.

“You’re right. You said you loved me, and yet look at me. You watched me burn on Mustafar. Why?”

“I couldn’t kill you… I couldn’t kill Anakin,” Obi-Wan whispered.

“Is that what you call mercy?”

“Please,” Obi-Wan whimpered. Vader always twisted the narrative like that.

“Please? Please what?”

“I’m sorry.”

Vader crouched down in front of Obi-Wan and slapped him hard across the face. Then he grabbed him by the throat, forcing Obi-Wan to look at him, to look into that dreadfully dark mask. Perhaps Obi-Wan should be glad. It would have hurt more to look at the face of his Padawan and see the eyes of a Sith.

“You’re disgusting, Obi-Wan. You killed Padmé. You killed my children. You left me for dead. I wish it was you who had died on Theed back then. Qui-Gon would have been a much better master to me. Better than _you_ , someone so weak and ill-fitted to be a Jedi Knight. You know you were unworthy, don’t you, Obi-Wan?”

Obi-Wan felt as if his heart had been ripped right out of his chest. Tears stung at his eyes as he squirmed in Vader’s grip, “Y-Yes. I know.”

“You never even wanted me. I remember, you know. You told Qui-Gon to forget about me. That I was too dangerous to be trained. And… you were right. Do you regret training me… master?” Vader only ever called him that vindictively, simply to remind Obi-Wan of how he failed him.

Even with Vader’s hand around his throat, even with a body littered with scars, even in his shackles, Obi-Wan fondly remembered his days as Anakin’s master as he spoke, “I only regret having failed you so badly. But I could never regret training you. The time I spent with you was the happiest I’d ever been, and I wouldn’t trade you for anything. I loved you, Anakin.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened at the slip of the old name, Vader’s hand tightening around his neck as he spluttered, black dots clouding his vision. Just at the cusp of passing out, Vader released him, only slap him again, “Liar! You killed Anakin Skywalker!”

Obi-Wan shook his head pitifully, “I loved him! I… I still do.”

“Shut up!” Vader hollered, standing up and kicking Obi-Wan in the stomach.

Even while he coughed and wheezed, Obi-Wan looked up at Vader with a pathetic expression. “I won’t! And I did not lie! I know you’re still in there, Ana—”

Vader interrupted him with a kick to the side, grabbing a fistsful of his hair and yanking him up, “Anakin Skywalker is dead! Do _not_ speak that name!”

Voice broken and raspy, Obi-Wan did not stop, “Please, Anakin, come back to me! I know you’re there! I won’t leave you again!”

“Shut up! Be quiet!” Vader bellowed in rage, as he beat Obi-Wan, who never stopped screaming out the name of his old Padawan. Not until the sickening crack came from Vader’s knee colliding with his face, knocking him out and leaving him sprawled and bleeding on the floor.

\---

_Looks like I have to rescue you again, old man._

_I knew you'd have a backup plan._

  
  


_Bravo, Anakin. You've done it again._

_Oh, I can't take all the credit. Your state of helplessness really sold them on my surrender talk._

_Always glad to help, my friend._

  
  


_Look out! I didn't think you saw it._

_It was a giant tower. Of course I saw it!_

  
  


_You will not understand what I have to do to end the Clone War. You will try to stop me._

_Anakin, why?_

_I'm sorry. I have seen that it is the Jedi who will stand in the way of peace._

  
  


_I've seen what I become, and I cannot let that happen._

_And for this, you join him? Your destiny can change just as quickly as the love in one's heart can fade. Nothing is set in stone._

_But I will cause so much pain._

  
  


_You must know I will never join the dark side willingly._

  
  


_I have taught you everything I know and you have become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be, but be patient Anakin. It will not be long before the council makes you a Jedi master._

\---

When Obi-Wan awoke with a splitting headache and a broken jaw, he cried. He cried because he would never again wake up in a world with Anakin Skywalker.

He wept, his bloody and bruised face pressed into the floor, because for Anakin Skywalker to live…

Vader would have to die.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this while listening to sad Star Wars music, meaning I cried quite a few times writing this. But to be fair, how could I not?
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this pile of angst, drop a comment and kudos if you want :)


End file.
